Walking Exercise Park with Man-Made Hill

ABSTRACT

The invention is a walking exercise park with a man-made hill. The hill can contain one or more slopes and steps that can be selected and walked or jogged. The goal of the man-made hill is to conveniently provide improved and expeditious health and fitness benefits as compared with ordinary park or level track walking. A person will be able to easily manage walking path elevation changes and have complete control over their workout on a concentrated footprint in a safe environment. The park can also be used for sports or athletic training or physical therapy and injury rehabilitation. The park can be lighted or covered or enclosed.

The inventor lives on a golf course and he and his wife enjoy walking the cart path hills early in the morning or late in the evening. These walks are most gratifying to the inventor because the hills provide the basis for improved health and fitness benefits. Because most people do not have this same opportunity to safely walk hills, the inventor came up with the invention of a walking exercise park with man-made hill.

The Plan view in the Drawing is a top or aerial view of the hill showing the rectangular footprint with a circular hill within the footprint of length dimension A and width dimension B. The width of the walking path is shown as dimension E. Three different sloped paths on the hill are labeled as 1, 2 and 3. Steps are shown going up or down on both sides of the hill. The diameter of the roundabout atop of the hill is shown as dimension C.

The A Elevation view in the Drawing is a front profile view of the hill showing the elevation change of the hill as dimension H, slope 1 on both sides of the hill, slopes 2 and 3 on the front side of the hill and steps on the front center of the hill.

The B Elevation view in the Drawing is a side profile view of the hill showing slopes 1, 2 and 3 on the side of the hill and step handrails on the front and backside of the hill. The roundabout is shown as a level surface atop of the hill.

The man-made hill will be formed to contain the desired sloped paths, whether it is one or multiple paths; steps can be constructed on one side of the hill. The example man-made hill in the Drawing shows three paths and steps with handrails. The man-made hill will be surrounded or adjoined by a circular level walking path. If more than one sloped path and steps are desired, the summit of the hill can contain a short level roundabout walking path to enable the walker options for decent from the top of the hill.

Based upon the desired footprint of the walking exercise park, the change in elevation (H) and/or the least sloped path (1) can be increased or decreased to meet the footprint dimensions (A and B). See the Drawing submitted for these dimensions and other dimensions. The diameter of the roundabout (C) and the width of the walking path (E) can also be adjusted to some degree to assist at meeting the desired footprint of the park. For example, a desired rectangular footprint of 0.82 acres (A=210′ and B=170′) with a 20′ change in elevation (H), a 40′ roundabout diameter (C), and a perimeter path width of 10′ (E) would accommodate a least sloped path (1) of 27% or 15 degrees. This value is calculated using the geometric tangent function for right triangles (105′ (½A)−20′(½C)−10′(E))=75′=base of right triangle; 20′(H)=leg of right triangle; tangent of angle=opposite divided by adjacent=20/75=27% or 15 degrees). Steeper slopes (i.e. 2 and 3) would begin inside of the level circular perimeter path needed to contain Path 1, as shown by the Drawing.

The man-made hill can be constructed from non-hazardous civil engineering project or construction and demolition spoil piles that are suitable or made suitable by crushing and/or grinding processes. Earthen materials generated by scraping or cutting into the sides of existing hills could also be used in forming of the hill. The volume of material needed for the hill construction of the example park above can be estimated by the conic formula: V=⅓((3.14×r1²×h1)−(3.14×r2²×h2)) where r1 (radius 1=(½A)−10′(E)=95′) and h1 (height 1=25′) form a cone based upon the connecting congruent angles of Path 1; r2 (radius 2 or ½C=20′) and h2 (height 2=5′)form the top portion of the cone above the level roundabout, which is subtracted out because it will not physically exist. For the example park, the calculated volume estimate is 234,061 cubic feet or 8,669 cubic yards [⅓((3.14×95²×25)−(3.14×20²×5))=234,061]. Although not nearly as aesthetically appealing, man-made sloped paths could also be formed by cinder block walls and fill material between the walls; however, these type paths would require guard railing on each side and around the roundabout for fall protection.

The walking paths can be constructed from a variety of surface materials including concrete, asphalt and rubber composition materials. The hill walking paths can be narrower than the circular level perimeter path. For safety reasons, the hill will be graded as gradually as possible off of each path toward possible other sloped paths or down to the level circular track. The non-path hill surfaces can be seeded for grass or sodded or capped by some other non-erosion method if the park is not covered or enclosed. 

1. There are presently no parks, resorts, retirement communities, truck stops, rest areas, fitness facilities, lifestyle centers, outdoor malls or other similar areas that persons gather or frequent that has a walking exercise park with a man-made hill for the purpose of safe, convenient and efficient exercise with the hill providing an improved means of muscular and cardiovascular fitness. The walking park will benefit persons of all ages that can safely walk as a form of exercise. At the summit of the hill, exercisers will have a repeated sense of accomplishment and a scenic view to the grounds below. Compared with level ground walking, hill walking is a better and a more efficient means of cardiovascular exercise with leg muscles more engaged and minimal skeletal shock and stress to the joints, such as from jogging. The walking park is safe and not subject to vehicle, motorcycle or bicycle traffic. Walkers or joggers maintain complete control over workout with options for sloped paths ascended or descended and steps on a concentrated footprint. The park paths could be built using an optimum surface material that provides adequate traction and is easily maintained. Man-made hill with sloped paths and steps would appear manageable without being intimidating to walkers or joggers. Construction of hill can be minimized and possibly profitable through the acceptance of non-hazardous spoil piles (i.e. rock, concrete, dirt, clay, etc.) from civil engineering project or construction and demolition spoil piles. Such spoil piles will typically have to be hauled and disposed of at landfills for a fee. A determined fee for disposal of these materials at the future walking park could be set so to be beneficial to both parties. Walking parks can be constructed almost anywhere for convenience such as at the multiple types of locations listed above in the first claim. Walking down slopes also has health/fitness benefits. Walking in fresh air is invigorating. 